About

Dealing with the normal muddle and bewilderment of passing life with an optimism not based on any facts. This blog is remarkably free of practical advice but shares some of my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned from them. I hope you enjoy it. I’ve decided to add this little word poem here because it reflects some of my thoughts about Blogging. Hope you enjoy it if you stumble upon it.

“Some come by to read a line or two, see nothing here and soon move on their way.That I understand . Life is full of glances. But to you, who read beyond an opening phrase I say this:

Online we meet.. inside.. out: emotions first, and dreams of course. Some anecdotes: piecemeal at best. Brief glimpses of a passing life, written in faltering intimacy.

Reader meet the writer of these words.

Let us imagine , you and I, standing in some forest glade, or on a sidewalk in some busy town. Feel a wind rise up, magic in its properties, and watch the scenery round us fall away .Lift the objects gently, one by one, till buildings, trees,and all but ground are gone. Nothing to see now, just you and I: alone in words with stillness in our hearts.

What would we see: alien or lover. Confused of spirit or finally at peace. Naked, uneasy or living harmony. Would you see danger, and cautionary tales, or some stranger on the road, hold out his hand to help you safely home .

Life soon passes, my skin attests to that. Those nimble limbs that ran as if a breath are now at rest on this, an average day. And you; where are you in this? Still out for love, or running from the cost. Dreaming of spires with bells that chime your name, or dragging your history down some deserted path. The tragedy that caught you, or the blessing of a charm are present now and written on your face. Mine too is full of complex history

But in this moment, nearly at an end . Let me hope that you who caught my words, and held them briefly in your thoughts, find the peace to quench your doubts and walk with me towards your chosen path.

My home is Mucky Manor, a tree farm. My pond, like your river, is my muse. I call the pond, “The Big Muck.” I’ve had the most imaginative and delightful discourses of my life with wood ducks, blue heron, and all the life inhabiting The Big Muck. Thanks for this post, and for your blog. We all need to take a deep breath and find what’s real.

I also love ducks; I’ve lost so many hours and loaves of bread to them. While I haven’t yet had any form of conversation with a duck I did film a bunch of them in Japan and narrated their life story as I zoomed and panned on the little guys scratching their feathers and floating about. My friends thought it was funny but secretly worried about my sanity.

Hi, I found you via risingontheroad. I Just wanted to say that I have been enjoying your posts and the insights they contain. Your posts about ‘howling at the moon’ are very interesting. I sometimes read beautiful and eloquent posts that people have written about their personal struggles and it can be very hard to respond appropriately without sounding trite or as if you are just paying lip service. I find the ‘like’ button difficult sometimes too – it can seem a bit cavalier and disrespectful. If that makes sense! Anyway, I have subscribed, and look forward to reading more.

I found your blog through Elizabeth at Mirth and Motivation and am so glad I did. I particularly love the piece on Jack. How lucky to have had such a friend and how lovely are your memories.
I look forward to reading more of your posts. I have subscribed. . :)

Of all the blogs in all the towns in all the world, he stumbles into mine… Just when I think I can’t keep up with any more blogs, particularly a thoughtful one, you show up and what do I do. I begin countingducks!

I’m not sure who found whom – was it you who first visited and commented or was it I? – No matter really, I like your voice – it is decidedly British, introspective without being emotionally pornographic, and spot on in many ways. I find it decidedly refreshing. I notice you are new to blogging, and I do hope you continue. These are great pieces so far.

As one of my favorite bloggers to read, I have nominated you for a most Versatile Blogger award. Details are on my page in a piece where I have included a link to your pages. I believe the point of the award and sharing is to bring more people to your pages. I sure hope it does! Your pages deserve all the attention they can get :) Happy Blogging!

Hi Countingducks,
You viewed my blog a while ago, and I wanted to let you know the outcome of my plight.
You may find this interesting. I have loved having a voice, and love to read[hear] others.
I hope you like the end/beginning of mine. http://livelifedirectly.blogspot.com/
Oh and I will keep checking out yours as it has given me inspiration.
Thanks, and have a Merry Christmas. I know I will.

Peter, Is everything all right? It’s been quite a while since you’ve posted or visited other blogs and I was just a bit concerned. I hope it’s because you’ve been very busy with holiday preparations and celebrations.
Send up a flag and let me know you’re ok. You know where to find me.
b

Hey I just read your comment over at http://www.yourdailymedia.com/ and I think you are right, just thought I would tell you that and offer up one other thing? You don’t have to apologize in advance for anything you say, it is called Free Speech, and your opinion while not being accepted is still yours, and you have a constitutional right to say it.

You have a lovely site – I’ve just had a look around. It is so full of insight that you have within you through pondering on your own experiences and really listening to those of others you have met on your life’s journey. Your posts are thought provoking and touching. I loved the imagery you conjured in this post. I will be back for more.x

Your writing is beautiful, poetic, thoughtful. If our words were to stand face to face yours would resemble a mystical creature, like a unicorn and mine would be an alien. :) I’ll try my best to do more than glance. ;)

Thanks for posting a “like” on my new blog about my book, A Chance To Say Good-Bye. It means a lot to have my blog liked by an established, creative writer. I’ve posted the first three chapters of my book on my blog. Thanks, again. Gretchen Gates

Heartfelt thanks for dropping by my blog and thereby allowing me to find your own. Your writing is quite wonderful and the punch-up in the anger management class just had me chuckling like a loon in the middle of a crowded office. A great talent.

Thanks for visiting my blog http://www.judythewriter.wordpress.com I’m happy you enjoyed One Word Wednesday. Your LIKE lead me to your delightful blog. Your imaginery inspires me. I’ll be dropping by often and hope to see you at Voices and Views from the Front Porch.

My dear friend…I have nominated you with the Sunshine Award…it’s OK for you to take time to post about it or if you are busy then leave it as well so that it doesn’t become a chore…but I would like to show my appreciation through this award for your awesome blog and you being such a nice person and an awesome friend. Wish you an awesome day ahead!http://talkingexperience.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/sunshine-award/

Thank you kindly for giving my humble and first-time effort a read. I am humbled, actually, by the commentary made here by others…to realize your apparent skill in this arena. I appreciate your kindness and I am glad I got to come by and see your fans speak of your work. This piques my interest in your stories and therefore I plan to come back to read on.

The verse on this page is just magical! I so enjoyed thinking about what it would be like to meet the blogging friends we create along the way. All the categories they/we fit in differ and yet we have met on common ground. Thanks.

Hey there! Just want to leave a quick message saying thank you for always dropping by my blog and leaving lovely comments! it’s just now that I popped over your site and I’m loving your posts! Keep shining! <3 :))

Hi Peter
Caroline and I at areadersreviewblog have nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. Your perceptive musings on the human condition have not only entertained us but have made us think about the deeper meaning of life and all that it entails for some months now.You can find out more information about your nomination at the link below, if you chose to accept it:http://areadersreviewblog.com/2013/06/18/one-lovely-blog-award/

Thank you. I dig your words, very moving and vivid. I look forward to what you have to share.
“Dreaming of spires with bells that chime your name, or dragging your history down some deserted path.”
Beautiful, simply beautiful. Thanks for that image right there. :)

The only thing that frustrates me about blogs is the inability to directly communicate. You have recently become a follower at my Reading Alcove, and I yours. I find your web-room a delightful place to visit and your writing style quite refreshing. I would like the opportunity of speaking with you about your writing. Could you PM me at my Facebook account? victoria.adams.90226 – this saves me from posting my email address on a public forum.

Hi CD, thanks for popping by my blog which is relatively quite new. Yes nature is inspiration in itself. Whenever I go to the farm situated on a hilltop, I can see the snaking river right below with green valleys on both sides. The mountains in the background. I heard the birds, now the cuckoos who have migrated from somewhere (maybe Russia?) Sadly there are no ducks! Maybe I’ll dig myself a little pond and rear some in the near future. I look forward to reading your blog soon.

What a brilliantly vibrant ‘About’ page you have. I’m glad you happened by my blog ‘Writer’s Block’ and liked it, for it has lead me to your brilliant words. Looking forward to reading your work in depth. Thank you.

Hi there,
You have been nominated by me for the WordPress Family Award. I chose you partly for your creativity in writing but also for your contentedness with the WordPress community. I am proud to be part of this community of amazing talented people for which YOU are a part. Congratulations. Check on my blog for instructions and how to accept this award. http://wp.me/s3ia4v-1244
Whispering Insights aka Oliana Kim

Thanks for the like as it meant that I have found you. I have enjoyed reading your blogs and look forward to reading more. Love your poem. Writing is such an intimate activity – opening your soul to the world.

I’ve nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. To accept, you display the One Lovely Blog Award on your blog, mention the blogger who nominated you, share seven fun facts about yourself and nominate five other blogs for this award. I hope you “do” awards and don’t mind me mentioning your wonderful blog on my blog.

Thank you for stopping by my blog and liking my post, and more so for directing me to your writing! I’ve read little but have enjoyed it tremendously. I’m following you now so I stay updated on your work :)

Hi there, thanks a million for stopping by prelovedbooksblog.com, my online thoughts about books I’ve read. Your site is great and, as an English graduate, a lovely place to pause and reflect. I’ll be back for some down-time…

That’s so kind of you. I’m not much good with these awards. Its not from disdain, but more from a lack of expertise. Never the less I am truly appreciative of the thought behind it, and getting it has added a lustre to my day

I noticed that you stopped by this morning. I’m honored, and appreciative. The mallards outside my own window are frisking in the sunshine, and when I told them another duck lover was about, they quacked. I think they said “Thank you” as well.

Hi, many thanks for liking my most recent blog post. Your own posts (and the regularity with which you put them up) are quite inspiring to me. My stories/posts usually tend to be rather long, and looking at yours I can see the benefit in being concise.
Great writing too, of course! I am now a humble follower :)

As a rough guide, I try and keep them to below 600 words because people’s attention span is pretty limited in Blogland, and it also aids thinking carefully about why any one word or phrase is worth its place in the story. Thank you for commenting.

Thank you for liking my post but more than that, thank you for writing so beautifully, it elevates, it makes you dream and hope…maybe each passing day is more beautiful than I sometimes make it out to be, maybe I need to look more closely,,,

Hi Peter
To celebrate your new book, I have nominated you for a new award, the ‘Field of Flowers’.
The Rules of the ‘Field of Flowers Award’ are:-
1 Thank the blogger who nominated you
2 Place the award logo on your blog
3 Nominate 7 other bloggers and write a little something about why you would give these bloggers “A Field Of Flowers”
4 Let your nominees know that you nominated them
Please click below to read more about the award:-http://wp.me/p2ZHJe-Qu
Please accept this message as a gesture of gratitude. There are no rules with this award but it is nice to pass them along to other bloggers whose writing you enjoy!
Many thanks, and Happy Writing in 2014.
Sandra

Wow. Isn’t that kind of you. I really appreciate that and your visit to my Blog. My book has just been published on Amazon and I’m a bit busy trying to find out if anyone has bought it apart from the guy at the fishmongers, but I will try and answer the questions. In the meantime thankyou again for your support. It makes the difference

I know you’re heard this countless times, but I just wanted to express how much I admire your writing talent. I’m at a loss for words with trying to explain how much I love this poem. Thank you for stopping by my blog, as it has led me to yours. I’m very excited to read more of your writing.

Believe me I am very touched by your comments. I have just had my first book published and, believe me, nothing is more nerve-wracking. Any statement of faith is like a drink in the desert at the moment: thank you again

oh definitely within the forest glade
for you know that is where the best magick is made
sun filters through the shade
we can wander through come what may

I did enjoy you thoughts you have so eloquently spun here…
the rhythm was flowing as I read what you said
I am pretty sure I will enjoy wandering through your thoughts
Take Care…You Matter…
)0(
maryrose

Deart Peter,
I feel like I’m writing to someone I know, so address the comment as a letter to a friend I hold dear – and yet, you and I are total strangers and have no previous knowledge of each other.

I have only just found your blog and yet I feel as if the blog were waiting for me to find it, because it speaks directly to my soul through your words. You have the most incredible way of writing, which speaks from your own soul and delivers it’s words directly to the soul of the reader. I have already clicked to follow your delightfully written thoughts and I look forward to many happy days of catching up on things I’ve missed.

Thank you – both for your wonderful eloquence (especially so in these days of text speak – or should I write: ‘txt spek’) and your desire to share that side of yourself which asks for a voice.

Peter, I finally got around to setting up my new blog!!! You can find me here… http://damselinthisdress2014.wordpress.com/ I still have to set up links of blogs I read and add this, be assured your blog will be there.

Thank you so much for the annstvincent.com blog follow! It pleases me you found me, since it means I have now found you. I hope you enjoy what you read and I, in turn, look forward to diving in to your words.

Thanks for checking out my Accidental Words. I love ducks too. We once had a pair that were quite neurotic. All their hatchlings died, except one I rescued and kept alive in the electric frypan (on very low). I fed it from an eye dropper with water, infant food and liquid vitamins. One Sunday morning I lifted the lid and it sat up chirping. I said, “My, aren’t you sparky!” And that was its name: Sparky. It lived in the house and nibbled our toes when we dug worms in the garden.

Shukriya (Thanks) for stopping by. Though I planned to make a quick visit to your “about” section but your words made me wait and inadvertently I went through the whole section thoroughly. I would love to come again and read more of you work. :)

Reading your posts makes me feel more like an ESL – English as a second language person. :-) And I had to google translate some words. OK, let me go back to read some Shakespeare. God to polish my language.

You, sir, are amazing! What a delight, to read your posts. Thank you so much for liking my humble attempt at writing, because had it not been for that, I wouldn’t have found this blog, and I wouldn’t have known what I was missing out on. Hope to see many more of your posts! :D

Peter, I’m delighted to have found your blog amidst the nosy crowd. You had me at your introduction: “And you; where are you in this? Still out for love, or running from the cost. Dreaming of spires with bells that chime your name, or dragging your history down some deserted path. The tragedy that caught you, or the blessing of a charm are present now and written on your face. Mine too is full of complex history” — What can I say? I’m so looking forward to reading more from you and Countingducks :)

Thanks for liking my recent post. I like so many others judging by the comments above think that your writing is amazing. Incredibly poetic. I have only been doing this for about five days but I’m really glad that I found your blog, it is the best I have seen so far.
As an added bonus you named your blog after your love of ducks, I love ducks too as does my girlfriend. We have spent many an hour sitting by a pond near us feeding the ducks.
I am really impressed by your writing and you seem to have a really nice way about you! I look forward to reading more.
All the best mate.

Hi there, I am not sure if you “do” blogging” awards, but if you do, you will hopefully be pleased to know that I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Here is where you can read the post: http://wp.me/p4Do1g-so.

Hello Ducky! I’ve decided to read and follow 15 interesting and new blogs a day every day for the first month of 2015, and yours is today’s #10! Feel free to come visit me when you can at http://www.thatssojacob.wordpress.com, and follow if you like what you read. Happy new year and happy blogging!

I stumbled on this and fell in head-first. Your prose is like water, cool, refreshing, and life-sustaining. I appreciate all the little eddies of wisdom and wit, and the undercurrent is one of underlying goodness and truth. I could happily drown in your posts, but will try not to… as it would put a crimp in my daily mangling of metaphors which I take considerable delight in. I’m sure you realize this comment is all wet… but anyhow, I think everyone needs to drink in the water… even if it has ducks on it.

You have a beautiful way with words. One of the hardest things I have had to accept is the fullness of a complex history revealed in my face and body. But that is something all will experience if they live long enough. I enjoyed your musing. Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I’m glad you enjoyed my post. Look forward to seeing you again soon, doors always open at Jean’s Writing.